


13

by inkythetoaster



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga), Death Note: Another Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23217268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkythetoaster/pseuds/inkythetoaster
Summary: Finding a stranger in your apartment uninvited who accuses you of being a mass murderer, is concerning on its own. Especially if said stranger looks a lot like the detective you just killed.
Relationships: Beyond Birthday/Yagami Light
Comments: 11
Kudos: 29





	1. 1 | "I don’t think we’ve met yet. Do you have a moment?"

**Author's Note:**

> i got insecure so i deleted this the same day as posting it, but eh here's a repost because i noticed a comment in my inbox only after already deleting it. idk if i'll continue tho my writing feels crappy

The door of his apartment was slightly opened when Light came home. Barely an inch, as if done on purpose. Just enough to peer inside and let Light tense up. Holding his breath, he waited outside. Very slowly, he bowed down and put his leather bag on the floor, making sure that the object would hit the surface in complete silence.   
Maybe it had been Misa, he told himself. Maybe she carelessly threw the door closed behind her while leaving the house without checking the lock. Other than Light, Misa would not be overwhelmed by every possibility that came with leaving all gates open.   
For a moment he closed his eyes and sucked a breath in through his teeth.   
When he looked again, he noticed the piece of paper.  
Obviously, the piece would lie there. It was the most logical thing for an object to do in the presence of gravity once the door was opened. Light would put it between the wood of the doorpost and the door itself every time he left his apartment like he had been doing since he was a teen. Despite having made sure that the notebook would not be found, his paranoia kept forcing him to repeat the action. It whispered quietly, warning him for the possibility of execution. A possibility crouched down in an armchair with wide eyes staring at him from beyond the grave.  
The paper was not the problem.  
The smiley scribbled on it, bothered Light a bit, though.  
He pinched it between two fingers and looked if anything else was added to the usual blank space, but no such thing was there. He stuffed it in his pocket and picked up his bag, trying not to clench his fist too much.  
It was probably just a joke. Maybe Misa did it. The best option was to remain calm and to keep his cellphone at hand – just in case he would need it.  
The creaking of the door was awfully loud as he pushed it open further.  
The warmth of the heating hit him immediately, more than it normally would. Or maybe he was just imagining it. No matter what, to stay on his guard probably wouldn’t hurt.  
A few books were littered on the floor. Not littered in Misa’s usual way: she would take them off from the shelve, read through them, and then carefully staple them on the table when done. Sometimes, when she sat on the carpet, she’d lay them down there – but never was it hurried or careless, as she knew Light’s distasteful gazes at the mess.  
Light did not recognize these books. They were thrown open, pages faced down, seemingly thrown around without much thought behind the chaos.   
Carefully he stepped around it, footsteps muted on the woolen carpet.   
Would the intruder still be there, waiting for him to come closer? Or would they have left, taking belongings away from him like any burglar?  
Light chewed on his tongue.  
No, whoever entered his apartment was probably still here. Burglars didn’t usually leave books that didn’t belong in the house they stole from.  
Nervously, Light glanced around.  
No trace of a stranger was to be seen. The books and scribble might have been the only hints he’d get. Light didn’t want to risk letting his guard down to see if the books were of any importance. If he bowed down it’d be the perfect opportunity for an attack. He slightly tilted his head and looked at the covers, but nothing interesting was on there.  
Searching directly was the best thing to do now.

It felt near nostalgic in a strange way, to be sneaking around in his own house with so little trust. It reminded Light of times that he had to check his sleeves for wiretaps and where he made sure to always sleep clothed, just to make sure that no unwanted eyes or ears would spot who he truly was. A time where he had to make up fake secrets to hide the real ones.  
The kitchen appeared to be untouched. There weren’t many blind spots in the small space, so Light was positive that the intruder wouldn’t be there after a quick check.  
The bathroom seemed empty as well, leaving only the bedroom.   
Now that there was no fabric muting his footsteps, the echoes sounded strangely hollow as Light walked. Cold, almost.   
If eyes were watching him, would they also be cold?  
He entered the bedroom and switched on the light. Due to the time it took to turn on, the room first was hit with an amber glow. Just a split second.  
Yet that split second of poor lighting was enough to spot the crouched figure on the bed. 

A sense of deja-vu washed over Light as he watched the man look up slowly. Bulging dark eyes stared at him from that spot, no emotion reflected in them. Empty, dead eyes.  
As if he had decided to wake up from the dead and visit him. With similar, spindly pale limbs that were folded in a strange knee-hug, like a child – but without the charm.   
The stranger stared at Light in silence.   
Light blinked.   
The stranger had freckles, he noticed. Freckles and a pinkish spot on his cheek, tracing down on skin until hidden under clothing. Light assumed it was a scar.   
Not quite the same as who he thought, then.  
Light tightened his grip on the knob, tempted to run out and throw the door closed behind him with a satisfying “bang” following him to ensure him he closed the memory out.  
But this was no memory, and the intruder was no one he’d ever seen before.   
Very carefully, Light tried to collect words. They hoped up on his tongue, filling his mouth, but slipping back into his head whenever he parted his lips even slightly.  
The stranger hopped off the bed, his dark hair bounced for a second at the movement. The man straightened his back and shoved his hands into denim pockets. Now that his chest was exposed, Light noticed that the man wore a white turtleneck with a small strawberry imprinted on the fabric. It began to become increasingly difficult to take this situation seriously, or to not write it off as some fever dream.  
‘Hello, Light.’ Nothing familiar clung to the strangers’ voice – besides the lack of emotion. ‘I don’t think we’ve met yet. Do you have a moment?’  
Light resisted the urge to take a step back. ‘I suppose I might have a minute to hear why you are in my house uninvited.’ he said, words sharp as they rolled off his tongue.   
The man’s mouth corners slipped up, sticking a childish facade for potential danger. ‘Of course.’ He bowed down a little. ‘My name is Kurou Otohorada, I’m a detective.’


	2. 2 | I would rather say that I’m an unprivate detective.

Light’s eyes were stuck on the small card that had the name imprinted. It was obviously cut by hand, as the sides didn’t line up and were all curved in the least flattering ways possible. The ink was spilled a bit and left an ugly stain in the right corner of the messy handwriting.

“Kurou Otohorada, detective”

Kurou Otohorada had been the name of Light’s first victim.

This stranger looked nothing like him. Light couldn’t even decide whether this “Kurou” was even Japanese, despite his name. Though some of his features seemed Asian, he didn’t look quite in place here.

If it weren’t for that fact – and actually, even with that fact, it made Light want to scrunch his nose in disgust.

Everything about this man screamed unprofessionalism. What kind of fool was he? Did he really think he could pass as a detective when he couldn’t even show a decent license? ‘Private detective then, I assume?’ Light asked, as polite as his mouth allowed him to.

Kurou slightly tilted his head, sunken in thought for a moment. Light saw him scan his memory but failed to grasp the content. ‘No, I wouldn’t like to put it that way. I would rather say that I’m an unprivate detective. A detective that doesn’t carry the neurotic egotism in the word private.’ he then said. ‘Though, you’re free to view my job however your personal preference lies.’

Light repressed the urge to roll his eyes. Great. He just admitted being unlicensed. Did this guy even want to be taken seriously?

‘Ah, I see.’

He thought real quick. Despite the want to throw this guy out, Light knew that this was not the wisest decision. Something about him felt dangerously familiar, the little sense that hung from Kurou’s speech pattern and the silent taunting aimed at Light even in the alias – it bothered him.

‘Do unprivate detectives usually leave such a mess?’ Light asked instead of expressing his concerns. He had to be careful. Too much suspicion might cause “Kurou” to feel the same. Instead, Light would have to cautiously move closer to the information he needed, tip-toeing past Kurou’s potential concerns before they would block his answers.

The intruder stared at Light for a moment. ‘I’m not sure what you mean.’ he then said, the slightest of hints of confusion seeping through. It sounded fabricated. Like he tried to stick a flavor to a plastic statement.

‘The books.’ Light explained, clinging to his patience. ‘My living room was littered with books that I can’t recall bringing in.’

‘Oh. My apologies for those, I was reading them when waiting for you to come home. Your girlfriend let me in, by the way.’

Of course, Misa would let in anyone who asked for it.

Light lightly bit his tongue. ‘I understand. However, I don’t quite understand why you’re here – I can’t remember you explaining such.’

A soft hum came from the unprivate detective. He rested two fingers on his bottom lip, curled up so that the tips were hidden. The pink scar tissue on his cheek matched the one that peeked out just above his sleeve. Light found himself staring at it, questioning its cause, before being able to pull his eyes away from the sight.

‘As my introduction already implied, I’m a detective. Such a thing is only brought up when the topic of conversation is related to it – so to put it simply, I am here to investigate.’ Kurou explained. His eyes darted to the left, watching how hands moved past numbers. ‘Now, before we dive any deeper into the specifics, I think it’s a wonderful time for us to move to the kitchen. Your day at work was longer than I expected it to be, I assume you must be tired.’

Tired? No. Light was tensed. Tensed and disturbed, but not tired. The stress left no space for such a thing. Nevertheless, he gave a tiny nod. ‘That’s fine by me. This way.’

‘You should drink that before it gets cold.’

Light glanced at his coffee for a moment, picked it up, and slowly brought it to his lips. He took a tiny sip and then put the cup down once again.

‘You should start explaining what you’re investigating before you’ve drunk all of the coffee.’ he responded, unable to hold the mock back as Kurou poured his own cup full yet again. This was his third one, and not only did he fill his body with caffeine, but his mouth also was stuffed with glucose. Light’s sugar supply was half empty now. It twisted his stomach, bringing the urge to vomit. Not the imagination of consuming a near poisonous amount of sugar, but a memory pushed away in the back of his head that stuck to it. It made Kurou more intimidating despite the childish action.

Who was this guy?

‘What I’m investigating?’ Kurou asked, staring at the teaspoon he just used to stir his drink with, before licking the sugar off. ‘Kira, of course. Are there any other criminals left nowadays, then?’

Light clenched his jaw. His paranoia had not been lying to him, and he was right for not letting his guard down. For some reason that both felt unnerving and reassuring.

He again, lifted his cup to sip from his coffee as nonchalantly as he could. ‘Kira? That’s interesting for sure. Why come to me for it?’

Despite knowing that Kurou would not reveal his real intention, the answer still annoyed Light.

‘Well, I figured that your father is the head of the Kira investigation set up by L, so you might have knowledge useful to me.’

L. Would Kurou have known him?

Light hummed at the answer. ‘That makes sense. However, that information is strictly secretive. If I even knew any of it, which I don’t, then I wouldn’t be allowed to share it with you. In fact, I’m impressed that you even know that my father works in the investigation unit.’ Even when dropping the act of ignorance, he had to admit that that was more than he expected from the unlicensed detective. Apparently, he wasn’t as much as a fool as he appeared to be.

‘Strictly secretive? That’s a shame.’ Kurou sipped his coffee, his eyes wandering right above Light’s head. Behind the cup, hints of a grin played in Kurou’s mouth corners. And in that grin, glistened something ugly. Something red. Something that Light couldn’t recall ever having seen in L, and it made his stomach turn.

‘You know what’s funny, Light? I don’t remember reading you had a job. Yet, here you are, just back from work. Should I worry for Amane?’

Light shortly closed his eyes and curled his fingers around the mock. ‘If that’s an accusation of cheating, I’ll have to deny. I have a job. You must have read past it, or perhaps it wasn’t worth noting in the file for whoever wrote it.’

‘Something not worth noting? Such as helping a strictly secretive task-force to catch a serial killer?’ Kurou asked, tilting his head. ‘Or like pretending to help a strictly secretive task-force to catch a serial killer while you commit these murders in secret, leading them to the wrong conclusions on purpose?’

Light choked on his coffee. Coughs fell out of his mouth and spilled drops on his white button-up.

The unprivate detective seemed to jump a little at the sound. ‘What? It’s just a hypothesis, no need to spit your drink out like that. I would have expected a fine man like you to have better manners.’

Light recovered and attempted to clean his shirt with a napkin, but the damage was already done. He added the ruined clothing to his list of reasons to hate this man.

‘Mister Otohorada, if you’re going to accuse me of something as serious as mass murder without anything to base that on… Then I think it’s time for you to leave,’ Light muttered. ‘I don’t quite appreciate a hypothesis like that.’

Kurou didn’t even hesitate to get up and raise his cup at Light for the last time, absorbing the last bits of coffee before putting it back on the wooden table. ‘Well, in that case… Have a great evening, mister Yagami. I suppose I’ll talk to you later.’ he said, speaking a tad faster than before. The pettiness in the use of Light’s last name affected Kurou’s entire behavior, and Light wasn’t sure whether it classified as pissed off, or amused. The scraping of the chair on the floor was as ugly as the smirk Light received.

Kurou’s steps were uneven and fast-paced as he made his way to the door. An odd pattern amid a silent room. He opened the door, and Light’s eyes fell on the scattered books. ‘Wait, Mister Otohora-’ Bang. The door fell closed behind the unprivate detective and his hurried walking was barely audible through the wall. A sigh escaped Light’s mouth.

Great, now he’d have to clean up those too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this was a lot easier to get through than chapter 1 and i hate it a lot less as well haha. thanks for the support, i really appreciate that, and i hope i can continue this story now that it's getting less difficult to write


	3. 3 | Letters without numbers, numbers in a letter

Soft music played in the background, the faint smell of lavender hung in the air. Misa leaned more into the soft pillows of the couch, sipping her tea between sentences.

‘Don’t you ever feel lonely?’ Nori asked, fiddling with her brown hair. Misa braided it, and ever since, Nori wouldn’t stop touching it.

Misa put her cup down. ‘Lonely? I mean… Yeah, sometimes, but it’s no big deal! After all, Light always comes back just in time!’

Her friend laughed. ‘He’d better. And if he can’t, then you’re always welcome here,’ She twirled a cookie between her fingers. ‘Man, it’s been way too long since we met up. I’ve missed you,’

‘Well, now you won’t have to anymore! I’m swimming in time, you should come over! The apartment is a tad boring, since, you know…’ Misa giggled and covered her mouth for a split second, bowing closer to Nori, voice no louder than a mere whisper. ‘Light’s taste in furniture is horrible.’

She paused for a moment. ‘I love him though, I mean, I suppose everyone has their flaws,’

Nori smiled mildly, leaning her chin on her hand. ‘Bad taste in furniture should be easy to fix, right?’

If only. Although Misa never succeeded in stripping all Light’s protective layers down to his core like she so desperately desired to, she knew one thing. If his opinion was set, then it was set in stone, and nothing could change it. And even if it might, she wouldn’t _want_ her theory to be wrong. It was one of the few pieces of information about Light that she knew that was more than skin-deep, a piece of him that she owned. A stolen piece from a puzzle that she would never be able to get her hands on. She picked up her teacup again and brought it to her lips as she replied. ‘Well, he’s pretty stubbo-’

Her ringtone cut her off. The buzzing against her thigh startled her and she nearly dropped her cup. A single splatter of tea landed on her jeans and she quickly picked up the phone, Light’s name on the screen.

Hastily she moved her fingers to the right buttons and held the phone to her ear.

Light’s voice was tense, fast-paced. ‘Hello Misa. Are you alone?’

‘I-’ She looked at her friend, ‘No, sorry, I’m at Nori’s house, do I need to go to a private place?’

He didn’t respond to her question. She wondered whether he even registered it. ‘You let someone in today, a detective named Kurou Otohorada. Am I correct?’

Nervously, Misa fiddled with her bracelets. ‘Yes, I did, he said he knew you, so… I thought it’d be alright,’

‘Was his real name Kurou Otohorada?’

Misa chewed on her bottom lip as she remembered the red letters above the visitor's head. It had been in the Latin alphabet, needing a bit more effort to translate, but due to the man’s constant turning away she only caught a glimpse of it.

There had been letters, but no numbers.

‘It wasn’t anything Japanese.’ she said quickly, glancing at Nori. Even though Light hadn’t been too caught up about Misa being accompanied, she knew that it’d be suspicious if she’d start speaking about lifespans over the phone. ‘There’s something else you should know, but I’d rather… You know, tell you when I’m home,’

Light hummed. ‘Well, you’d better be home quick then.’ he said. He fell quiet for a second, but Misa could still hear his breathing. Upset, he was upset. Panicked, maybe. Misa couldn’t tell, the emotion that happened to seep through was too vague to analyze.

‘Miss you.’ Light then added.

A smile grew on Misa’s face as warmth spread in her chest. ‘I miss you too,’

**☠ ☠ ☠**

Light stared at the clock. Half an hour had passed since his call with Misa, she could come home any minute now. His eyes shifted to the carpet, books now a familiar view. He scrunched his nose.

Even though he really didn’t want to give the impression that he minded the hints of Kurou’s presence, he also was really bothered by the little flaws in the otherwise perfect background. He sighed and got up to put them away.

He already searched the entire house for wiretaps or cameras, but found none. Kurou hadn’t been using his time very efficiently, or maybe he simply didn’t have the money for such equipment. Nevertheless, when searching for bugs, then the books would be a likely place – so even if Light didn’t do this out of care for the other man’s belongings, he should still check to be safe.

There were four books, each of them lying face down, pages directly exposed to the floor. When Light picked them up, there were ugly creases and folds in it due to the careless positions that Kurou left them in. Light groaned internally at the sight. There was no need to even bother fixing it, the lines would be permanent with the depth of the marks.

The pages were such a mess that it seemed impossible to keep a device in between.

Merciless, Light closed the books and piled them on the table in a neat staple. He heard Misa’s footsteps in the hallway, he could wait with checking for bugs. The more he thought of it, the smaller the possibility seemed anyway.

The door unlocked and the petite model entered.

‘I’m so sorry that I’m late! There were like five busses and I didn’t know which one was mine and-’

She fell quiet when Light’s eyes landed on her. The silence stretched out over the empty seconds. Misa nervously fiddled her jacket.

Was he angry?

Should she have messaged him about it earlier?

He seemed pretty upset on the phone, so maybe-

‘It’s alright, I didn’t even notice.’ Light said, ‘You gave me some extra time to check for bugs, so thank you, actually.’

A sigh of relief escaped Misa’s lips. ‘Oh, I’m glad.’

She was quiet for a moment, but then perked up again. ‘Bugs?’

Light nodded. ‘Yes. Misa, you had something to say that you couldn’t tell over the phone. Would you mind saying that now?’ he asked. The earlier signs of distress were now all gone. No shakiness in his voice, no anger or frustration looming under the words. Not even his body gave away hints of anxiety. As always, it seemed like he collected himself again.

Quickly, Misa sat down. ‘Yes, yes, of course.’

Light took place in front of her, but never sat down, he just stood there, waiting for an explanation. If the lamps had been placed only a little differently, his shadow would cover Misa, threatening in a passive manner.

‘I couldn’t read his name. He simply rang the doorbell, but kept either distracting me or turning in angles that made the letters disappear.’ she began, ‘I’m positive that it were Latin letters, though. However, that’s not the issue.’

‘Then what is?’

She took a deep breath. ‘I can’t see his lifespan.’

Light tensed. Very slightly, just enough to see him stretch his fingers and curl them up to release the tension. Then, he sat down, very slowly. ‘So… There is a possibility that he has a notebook?’

‘I think he does. I haven’t noticed anyone killing criminals I hadn’t killed yet though, so his target must be different.’ Misa guessed.

Her boyfriend hummed. ‘That seems plausible. Or maybe he used it once and never again.’ he thought out loud, and soon enough, wrinkles on his forehead appeared. No matter what, a lack of lifespan was a problem. He had to get Kurou back on his radar.

This was bad. This was really bad.

Panic seeping through in his actions, he got to his feet and picked up the books, laying them in front of him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Light could hear Misa talk, but her words didn’t register.

There had to be something to find Kurou, to track him. He opened the books, searching for a hint.

Light chewed on his tongue. Perhaps this was too much of a stretch.

Maybe he just assumed that there was a hint left behind because it’s what L would have done.

Light looked back for the pages with deep creases and ruined edges. There had to be a reason that the books were there. No one read four books at the same time, that was ridiculous.

Besides, it was the first thing to be seen when walking in, right after noticing the smiley on his shallow alarm system.

Light reached in his pocket to find the paper. It was crumpled up, but with some striking, the image was visible again. Would it be connected to the books? Or was it just an empty tease, a jab at how easily Kurou had gotten past his security?

He looked at the pages, carefully unfolding them to see if there was anything underneath the folds. Light wondered if the way that the paper was folded had anything to do with a message, but when checking the fourth book he saw that this was not the case. A thick black marker was hidden just beneath the curve, covered up but easily found when looking for it nevertheless.

A math problem.

It was on the difficult side of math and would require a calculator even for Light, but it didn’t seem like it would result in a dead-end.

‘Misa, can you get me a calculator?’

Light barely realized that she had been moving around until the object was placed on his lap. Light took out a pen and set his brain to solve the problem.

The world around him was a blur. He didn’t know if Misa was talking – maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t. All noise was filtered out. It was as if Light wasn’t even connected to his body anymore, as if he watched himself think from a distance.

His body managed to finish the equation. He blinked to force himself back into reality.

A phone number.

The answer was unmistakenly a phone number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i gotta say that misa is probably the most difficult character to write so far lmao, because she's pretty optimistic. i mean at least i can tolerate her more now that ive forced myself into her head so that's good i think


	4. 4 | Sounds like an interesting plan. When’s our date?

‘This is Kurou Otohorada. How can I help you?’

Light felt a weight lift from his chest when he recognized Kurou’s monotone voice. It was higher pitched than he remembered L’s voice to be, but the intonation was near identical.

‘Hello, this is Light Yagami.’ Light began. ‘I found your number in one of the books that you left behind at my apartment.’

‘Ah, those.’

Light could practically hear Kurou smirk in his words. There was yet another difference with L, whose expressions had never been audible. Maybe Light should list the diversities to contain his sanity. To make sure that they weren’t the same person – to remember that he won.

‘You found it a bit late for someone who used to be Japan’s top student, in my opinion. Was the equation difficult?’ Kurou went on, ‘Or was I too intimidating to call?’

There was no real hatred in the words, Light realized. Not even rejection. The sentences were bland and maybe held a vague concept of amusement in them. It made Light’s blood boil.

‘No. I simply did not intend to go through your belongings, I thought it’d be impolite.’

‘Oh?’ Smacking was heard, teeth clashing against each other. Was he eating? ‘But you did go through them. What made you change your mind?’

Light sighed and rolled his eyes, glad that there were no cameras to hide from. Only having to contain his annoyance verbally was quite welcome. The only thing that bothered him, was that he couldn’t monitor Kurou’s body language either.

‘Why did you leave it behind? Don’t pretend that changing your mind over something small is more suspicious than creating a puzzle, putting it in one of four books, and leaving the book purposely behind, just to give out your number.’ he tossed back.

It was silent on the other side of the line for a moment. Just the chewing noises. Light slightly moved the phone away, jaw slightly trembling in disgust.

‘I was curious whether it was possible for you to correctly solve it. Also, I knew that you would probably throw me out, so… I left it in case you wanted to help me catch Kira nevertheless.’ Kurou then answered, voice dragging out some syllables out longer than felt natural. It was almost as if he had to force himself to slow down on his pace.

Light hummed. ‘I see. It was both a test in my deductive skills and a way to give out a way to be contacted. That’s quite clever.’

A bit over the top – but still clever – he had to give him that.

‘Thank you.’ You could hear Kurou grin through these simple words, again. ‘Was all you were calling for, to ask me why I left my number or is there a more substantial reason?’

Options raced through Light’s head. He couldn’t hang up now. If Kurou showed no lifespan, he could have a notebook. Light didn’t want to rule out other possibilities just yet: there had been no suspicious deaths, and it would be highly unlikely for a notebook user to pretend to catch Kira of all things to someone he suspected to be the real Kira. It would only take away his scapegoat. However, if he happened to have a notebook, then Kurou could have the eyes. And if he had the eyes, then Light’s cover was blown.

He couldn’t let Kurou walk free.

‘I’d like to help you investigate this case.’ Light said. ‘You seem smarter than most detectives I’ve encountered, so it’s probably only a win for the police if we help them. Perhaps we can even find Kira before L does,’

A light chuckle was heard at the mentioning of L. It reminded Light a little bit of Ryuk, but he couldn’t pinpoint why.

No matter how familiar though, it confirmed that there was something between Kurou and L. Or had been. Light was quite annoyed that none of the hints were substantial enough to piece together.

‘Sounds like an interesting plan. When’s our date?’

Wrinkles appeared between Light’s brows. ‘Date?’

‘For meeting up and discussing theories, of course.’

‘Right.’ Interesting pick of terms. Light wondered if he was the only one who had noted the clumsy wording.

Something that sounded like the start of a chuckle was heard. ‘But if you want to mistake it for a romantic date such as your suspicion implies I won’t object either. Will you pay the bill, then?’

‘No.’ Light licked his lips and decided to ignore the rest of the statement. ‘I’m free during the weekend, we could get to work on Saturday.’

A hum of agreement. ‘Alright. I’ll see you at 12 o’clock at the bakery across your street then. It’s the one that sells bread with fruit in it.’ Kurou stated. It wasn’t a question, no room for negotiation left when he hung up.

Light slowly lowered his phone. Kurou was either just rude or liked to be dramatic, he concluded.

☠ ☠ ☠

He didn’t realize when Misa sat down next to him. Slipping there silently, no creaking or touching, just some nervous fiddling with her nightgown, which was completely filtered out by Light’s brain. He wasn’t sure when she changed, he had been too focussed on the phonecall.

It wasn’t until Misa spoke that he recognized her.

‘Light,’ she began, hints of nagging in her tone, though her words were quite the opposite, ‘I’m so sorry that I couldn’t read his name. If Misa had known that he’d upset you she would’ve killed him right away.’

That use of third person, putting the blame on a secondary Misa, annoyed Light more than anything. It was as if she tried to distance herself from her actions by it, attempting to stand free from herself.

‘I’m not upset about him.’ Light said. ‘I hadn’t expected him, but I can handle it. Don’t get too hung up over it.’

‘Oh. I see.’ Where most voices went down on the last word, Misa’s went up. As if she was speaking in major key, except that the sound was everything but music to the ears. ‘What did he say? Does he have a notebook?’

Light stared blankly at the wall. ‘No such thing was implied. He claims to be a detective searching for Kira, and he suspects me of working together with the Kira taskforce, so… I agreed on helping him. We’ll meet up on Saturday.’

Misa hummed. ‘He’s a bit like L, actually,’ she said. There it was, that terrifying statement that Light barely dared to think of, easily sneaking past her lips. She seemed to ponder for a moment to process the rest of the information. ‘Alright! Can I come too?’

Light snapped his eyes back at her, how she excitedly waggled her fingers as she held his arm, that smile too bright for his eyes.

‘No, I think that’s a bad idea.’

Misa pouted. ‘Why not?’

Light repressed the urge to glare at her. Everytime he held his hopes up for her intelligence to rise, he was hit with the reality of her stupidity again. ‘Think about it. I have no trouble looking him in the eye, but he hides from you. If he knows about the eyes or is suspecting anyone of being able to kill with just a face, then you’re who he has linked to that status. He will only be more cautious if you’re there too.’ he argued.

And mostly, Light didn’t want her to come. Kurou had proved to be quite an annoyance already, Light didn’t need Misa on top of that. However, hiding his dislike underneath a foundation of fabricated care would prevent his girlfriend from crying.

A cheerful Misa Amane was still better than a nagging one.

As usual, his tactic seemed to work. Misa’s tense position softened up and her mouth closed. Very shortly, they parted again to let out a few words. ‘Oh, of course.’

Light was about to turn away when her face dissolved into something sharp.

‘I heard you mention something about dating. You’re not cheating on me, right? Is that why he knew of my eyes – did you tell him? Are you tired of me or something?’

Light sucked in a breath through his teeth. There it was: nagging Amane. No, not nagging. Angry Amane. The one he had hoped to keep locked up somewhere in the back of her brain. Too late now.

‘No.’ he said shortly before jumping into further explanation. He lay his hand on her shoulder. ‘He asked me when I was available and I questioned his choice of words. That’s all there is to it. Besides, I’m not even into men.’ They were more interesting in his opinion than Misa, though. ‘Why would you think I was cheating? You’re reading into this way deeper than you should.’

Misa narrowed her eyes. ‘You promise?’

‘Yes.’ Light said. Something very petty and distracting in him told him to do the opposite. To lie to her, scare her away, clear his surroundings. However, he needed her eyes. And Kurou had made that horrible flirtatious remark to his misunderstanding, so it was either giving in to Misa, or this stranger that probably rooted for his end. A stranger who would most likely notice his shift in behavior, who would figure this pettiness and analyze it until Light was stripped from all his walls. He could already hear the percentages in Kurou’s voice, mimicking L, like it was done on purpose.

No, no matter how laughable that thought seemed for a split second, Light rather dealt with Misa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> light is fucking easy to write because he's boring  
> beyond is a bit more difficult because he's pretending to be a frog but other than that he's fairly easy as well since he's pretty much me  
> but then there is MISA AMANE with HUMAN EMOTIONS but in a CRACKHEADED WAY
> 
> HOW DOES ONE WRITE MISA AMANE SHE'S SO YYRFSGGKHHGFHJ


End file.
